Label-holder.



E. J. MIDDLETON.

LABEL HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 8, 190B.

Patented Dec. 7, 1909.

ENVER, CO L.

WASHI NGTONIE UNITED STATES T OFFICE.

EDWARD J. MIDDLETON, OF MANCHESTER, IOWA.

LABEL-HOLDER.

To all whom it may concern:

ie it known that I, EDWARD J. MIDDLETON, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Manchester, in the State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Label-I-lolders, of which the following is a. specification.

This invention relates primarily to label holders for attachment to the pouch and sack racks of railway postal cars, but is applica ble to label holders for more or less analogous uses in general.

The invention consists in certain novel combinations of parts, and in an improved label holder embodying the same or any of such combinations, as hereinafter more particularly described and claimed.

On railway postal cars the pouch and sack racks must be labeled, and the labels for use in one run or trip must, according to the rules of the Post Office Department, be replaced by others for the return trip. Owing to the difficulty of hurriedly changing the labels on label holders now 1n use, they are sometimes worked blind or without the required labels during the return trip, which is not only contrary to rule, but leads sometimes to serious mistakes in the distribution of postal matter.

The leading object of the present invention is to adapt a label holder of simple construction to carry four labels suitable for use in two alternate pairs appropriate to successive runs of a railway ostal car or the like, and adapted to be quickl and accurately changed at the end of eac run.

Other objects will be set forth in the general description which follows:

A sheet of drawings accompanies this specification as part thereof.

Figure 1 is a. face view of the three principal parts of the improved label holder, separated but arranged in edgewise juxtaposition to each other; Fig. 2 represents a horizontal section through the label holder as attached to a railway-postal-car pouch and sack rack, and provided with labels for successive runs; Fi 3 isa perspective view showin the movab e part or leaf in two intermediate positions by full and dotted lines, so as to expose to view the four label faces.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in all the figures.

The improved label holder is composed of a long fiatfaced main part, a, a movable Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 8, 1909.

Patented Dec. 7, I909.

Serial No. 481,912.

part or leaf, 7), and a. flat or blade spring, 0, of suitable metal, together with a pintle r1, Figs. 2 and 3, interacting with hinge memhers I and 2 on the main part (l and leaf 7) respectively, and a rivet, c, Fig. 2, by which the heel end of the spring 0 is fixedly attached to the back of the main part a.

The main part a is further constructed with a. pair of bosses, 3 and 1-, on its back, to form hookadn'iitting spaces, 5, (l and 7, Fig. 2, between the body of said main part and the face of the pouch and sack rack rep resented at f in Fig. 2, and with countersunk screw holes, 8 and 9, Fig. 1, coincident with said bosses for the accommodation of screws, g and 11, Fig. 2, which attach said main part fixedly to the pouch and sack rack. Also with a central slot, 10, coincident with said hinge member 1 extending throu 'h the main part from front to back, and t rough which the respective faces of a two-faced eccentric formed by said hinge member 2 protrudes when the parts are united, as in Figs. 2 and 3 to interact with the spring 0, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, and thus to cause the leaf to be held fiat against one or the other of the ends of the main part by the pressure of the spring. Another countersunk hole, 11, Fig. 1, in the main part a, accommodates the spring attaching rivet e.

The labels, four in number as shown at i, j, I: and Z, in Figs. 2 and 3, are preferably of paper or the like pasted to the label supporting surfaces, 12, 13, 14 and 15, formed by the respective symmetrical ends of the face of the main part a and the two sides of the leaf 6, so that those attached to the main part a. cover and conceal the heads of the attaching screws 9 and h and rivet e and so that either of the two pairs, ?l]c and Lj, into which the labels are divided by the holder, may be exposed to view at will, so also that in changing the labels by reversing the leaf 6 at the end of a trip or run, the change can be made in the quickest possible manner, and without any possible mistake.

The lettering of the several labels is, of course, arbitrary, and appropriate to the particular use of the label holder.

The label supports of the holder may provide for attaching the labels in any known or im roved way; the shapes and proportions of the parts will vary in adapting the label holder for ditlerent uses; and other like niodilieations will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art.

Having thus described said improvement, l elaiin as my invention and desire to patent under this speeitieation:

l. The combination, in a label holder, of a long and tl:1tt'aeed main part adapted to be lixedly attached to an object and constru -ted with a hinge member at midlength and with svuunetrical ends forming supports [or two labels at its face on the respe t-tire sides of said hinge member, a movable part or leat' conformed to said ends of the main part and having a hinge member at one end articulated with that of said main part and atl'ording supports for two labels on its respective sides, and means for holdiug said leaf against said main part on either side of the hinges.

2. The combination, in a label holder, of a long and flat-faced main part constructed with a hinge member at midlength and countersunk holes for attaching screws and with attaching surfaces for two labels of paper or the like on the respective sides of the springs covering the heads of the attaching screws, a movable part or leaf adapted to overlie either of said labels on the main part and having a hinge member at one end articulated with that of said main part and affording supports for two labels on its respective sides, and means for holding said leaf against said main part on either side of the hinge.

3. The combination, in a label holder, of a long and flat-faced main part adapted to be fixedly attached to the pouch and sack rack of a railway postal car and constructed with a hinge member and a coincident slot at midlength and with symmetrical ends afli'ordin supports for two labels on its face on the resptartive sides of said hinge member, a movable part or leaf adapted to overlie either of such labels on said main part and having at one end a hinge member articulated with that of said main part and a twod'aeed eeeentric protruding at the back of the main part through said slot, and a blade spring attached to the back of said main part and interacting with said eccentric to hold said leaf against either end of said main part. 0

J. A label holder for the pouch and sack racks of railway postal cars having, in combination, a long and flat-faced main part constructed with a hinge member and a coincident slot at lnidlength and. with symmetrical ends forming supports for alternate labels on its face and with bosses at its back and countersunk holes coincident with said bosses for attaching screws, a movable part or leaf adapted to overlie either of such labels on said main part and having at one end a hinge member articulated with that of said main part and a two-faced eccentric protruding at the back of the main part through said slot, and a blade spring attached to the back of said main part and interacting with said eccentric to hold Said leaf against either end of said main part, substantially as hereinbefore specified.

EDlVARD J. MIDDLETON. Witnesses Gno. A. NEWMAN, M. M. Gunmen. 

